5 From Fitch: May 2024
You know those friends you have who always offer great recommendations for books to read, movies to see and places to go? That’s us! Every month, our intrepid writers will share five recommendations based on their current favorite things. Have you read a riveting book lately? Seen a movie or show that deeply affected you? Eaten a new take on an old classic? Check out any interesting art installations? Please drop us a line in the comments!
Jay Stowe
🌶️ Eating: Pickapeppa sauce
What is it?
A condiment also known as Jamaican Ketchup, with ingredients including cane vinegar, West Indian red peppers, sugar, onions, raisins, ginger and mango concentrate.
Why I love it.
I believe life on earth is greatly improved by condiments. A couple years ago, I made a “Caribbean stew” for Super Bowl Sunday. The recipe recommended a scotch bonnet pepper-based hot sauce. But scotch bonnets are fiery, and I didn’t want scorching heat to overwhelm the stew. So I went looking for an authentic Caribbean sauce that wouldn’t blow the bloody doors off. Much to my surprise, despite its Jamaican provenance, “original flavor” Pickapeppa sauce has minimal heat. It’s tangy, fruity, slightly sweet but still savory — an umami-enhancer par excellence. Plus: It’s barrel aged! Goes great on grilled meats.
Caroline Morris
💃 Doing: Salsa Dancing
What is it?
A form of Latin dance that gets its name from the Spanish word for “sauce,” aka a mix of many different ingredients put together to create something new. Salsa music and dance originally took form in the 1960s. Their creation was influenced by Latin and African rhythms in addition to rock, with Cuban dances like the rumba and mambo as well as American dances like tap and swing creating this electric amalgamation.
Why I love it.
I started salsa dancing during college in D.C., which has a large Latino population. Though lessons were offered, my friends and I learned through experience, as the experienced dancers are so willing to guide you. I immediately fell in love with how fun salsa dancing is and the room for improvisation. I’d look around and be entranced by the magic of strangers spontaneously creating something new together, only to realize I was doing the same. I recently restarted salsa in Philly and it reignited my passion. And it’s easier than you think, so get yourself to a salsa night!
Dianna Delling
📺 Watching: “After Midnight” (CBS)
What is it?
A late-night comedy series with a make-believe-game-show format, airing at 12:30-ish a.m. Eastern on CBS and hosted by comedian Taylor Tomlinson.
Why I love it.
The critics are not wrong: The format is limiting, the jokes are goofy and Tomlinson is obviously reading lines from a teleprompter. But all this ridiculousness keeps me coming back. Tomlinson is charming and her three nightly guests — talented comedians, comedy writers and actors who tell jokes and compete for randomly awarded points — are witty and committed. The show is probably best consumed while you’re sleepy, but I watch well before midnight, on demand via streamer Paramount Plus.
Liz Wishaw
🚆 Traveling: Via Amtrak Cascades/Coast Starlight
What is it?
An easy and stress-free way to explore the Pacific Northwest without the hassle of driving Interstate 5.
Why I love it.
Because it allows me to pack light and have a great long weekend in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, or Vancouver, British Columbia, where we can eat and drink to our hearts’ content and not worry about the burden of parking, over imbibing or that brain drain of navigating traffic. I can listen to an audiobook, email, have a thoughtful conversation with my traveling companion. I see a different travel view too: all for a reasonable fare without the hassles of airport security or cramped seating. We grab drinks from the food car, sit back and wait for that “next stop” from the conductor to ring out for our final destination.
Chris Noon
📺 Watching: “Ripley” (Netflix, 2024)
What is it?
Fans of “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Anthony Minghella’s sultry movie of 1999, needn’t worry that the new Netflix series, “Ripley,” written and directed by Steven Zaillian, will tarnish any of their fond memories.
Why I love it.
Ripley’s cinematographer Robert Elswit sees the Italian Riviera in brooding Hitchcockian noir, the antithesis of Minghella’s Mediterranean technicolor. Andrew Scott (the hot priest from “Fleabag”) plays Ripley as an opportunistic and occasionally amateurish impressionist, a world away from Matt Damon’s polished and preternaturally gifted impersonator. There’s even a fresh take on the legendary character of Freddie, seemingly immortalized by Philip Seymour Hoffmann as an Ivy League hell-raiser. Eliot Sumner (yep, child of Sting) reanimates small-screen Freddie as an androgynous and arch Brit. Perhaps sensibly, Zaillian doesn’t tinker with the one essential ingredient of Patricia Highsmith’s shapeshifting antihero: His cold-bloodedness.